MICHAEL MEDINA
Editor in chief
OZAMIZ CITY--Definitely, Ozamiz-Cebu and vice versa routes for Air Philippines starts this week, Ticket Officer Jojo Pacana advised MINDANAO MONITOR in a telephone conversation.
A 76-seater PAL Express plane will service the said route every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Flight 2P297 will leave Cebu, 5:30 in the morning. Return Flight 2P298 will leave Ozamiz at 7:10 a.m.
As its opening promo, PAL Express’ one way fare is P1,500.
The announcement followed an earlier anticipated notice by the City Mayor’s Office and Rep. Herminia Ramiro last March who both said that the Ozamiz-Cebu route will open again sometime in June or July.
The new Ozamiz-Cebu route will be an addition to the already thriving Ozamiz-Manila daily flight of Air Philippines.
Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, through chief of staff Miguel Ochate, texted this paper and thanked the management of PAL Express for its inaugural flight.
“This is a big boost to the economy of Ozamiz as well as the province while serving the needs of constituents for a better service to the people,” Ochate’s text added.
Councilor and lawyer, Ma. Constancia Lim likewise sent a text message to this paper, saying: “We should be happy that travel will come very accessible. Furthermore, it will create more economic activities, bring or pour additional investments into the city.”
For the record, Air Philippines started servicing the Manila-Ozamiz route last July 18 in the newly-renovated Benigno Aquino Jr. Airport in Gango with President Gloria Arroyo gracing its opening.
The airport is one of the fast-tracked projects for completion with an allocation of P43-million made possible by the efforts of Ramiro and Parojinog.
Also, in a huddle with Ramiro last February at her residence, she told this paper that Cebu Pacific has shown intentions to open their own Ozamiz-Cebu route in the last quarter of this year.
It can be recalled that in May 1994, then PAL vice-president for communications Rolando Estabillo hinted the closure of their Ozamiz-Cebu flight because of losses traced to their use of small “Sunriser” and Fokker aircrafts.
PAL needs airbus like DC-10 and Boeing 737 to offset their losses but the runway of the airport is undersized and insufficient. The Ozamiz airport is said to be the only airport in Western Mindanao that needs to be upgraded to accommodate bigger planes.
Then Rep. Hilarion “Nonoy” Ramiro announced he has secured P5 million for the improvement of the airport and that another P4 million was appropriated by then President Fidel Ramos to purchase land for the expansion of its runway from 1,250 to 1,850 meters.
Ramiro even boasted he would construct a longer, 2,100-meter runway.
Then Gov. Benito Chiongbian proposed the construction of an all-weather airport in nearby Clarin town. In a resolution, the city council staved off the idea as it directly affects the economy of the city.
Chiongbian’s plan was then criticized for being self-serving as his brother William owned the William Lines that monopolized the Ozamiz-Cebu route.
In November 2005, Naomi Ceniza, owner of Naomi’s Botanical Gardens, said she was contemplating on selling her prized 13-hectare farm if the Ozamiz airport remains closed.
Saying she is also worried, Ramiro then expressed apprehension the re-opening of the airport will not push through or not finished in time for the 250th anniversary of the Cotta Shrine because of funding problems.
She believed there have been moves or maneuvers block the improvements of the airport because its operation will affect Dipolog that according to her “will likely lose their passenger traffic once the Ozamiz airport operates again.”
Now, Ramiro said she is grateful for the opening of the airport, she even once told this paper the airport’s opening was very sentimental to her.